The right type of flooring for your home varies depending on the room, your budget, and your design aesthetic. The higher quality, more durable materials are naturally the more expensive choices, and with so many choices available it can be hard to decide what’s worth the investment. Keep reading for a quick guide to six of the best flooring materials, perfect for any room!

Wood is a classic choice for floors, because it looks great and it’s versatile enough to suit all kinds of decor. When looking at wooden floors, you have a few options: genuine hardwood, engineered wood, or laminate.

Solid hardwood is the most expensive choice, but it’s incredibly durable and resilient. Solid wood floors are long-lasting, and they can always be sanded down and refinished to restore their quality if damaged. They also add value to your home, which is a big bonus for many people.

Engineered wood is made with a real wood veneer over engineered base layers. It’s a more cost-effective choice and it’s easier to lay, and it can be very effective at mimicking the finishes of genuine wood.

Laminate is made from fibreboard with a photograph of wood finish laminated to the surface. This is a low-cost option that’s easy to install, but it’s more susceptible to water damage and difficult to fix.

Concrete floors are becoming more popular in home interiors as an interesting alternative to traditional flooring choices. Traditionally a utilitarian material, concrete is extremely hard-wearing and low-maintenance material that can withstand a lot of traffic. It’s also versatile, as it can be polished, etched, or stained in a variety of finishes. Aesthetically, concrete is a great choice for modern and industrial styles of homes. It suits high-traffic areas, and can be warmed up with rugs and underfloor heating.

Limestone floors are durable, easy to clean, and resistant to mold and other bacteria. This makes limestone an excellent choice for kitchens, bathrooms, and hallways. It’s also a suitable material for outdoor areas, which can be used to create a beautiful flow between indoor and outdoor spaces. Limestone floors are natural and elegant, and they can suit modern decor as well as more rustic, farmhouse styles.

Marble is an upscale choice of material for floors, giving a luxurious quality to any room. It’s a natural stone with a great variety of colors available, and each slab of marble is totally unique. However, marble is also a premium material that comes with a larger price tag, and requires specialist installation. Marble floors look beautiful with opulent interiors, such as art deco or Hollywood Regency styles.

Ceramic tile is a versatile, durable, and easy to clean choice that can elevate almost any room in the house. A wide variety of styles are available to suit any budget, and basic tiles are one of the lowest-cost flooring options out there. Tiles can be cut, painted, and glazed in a huge variety of patterns, offering endless design options. Ceramic tiles can also be printed and finished to mimic other materials like stone or wood. The main downside of tile is that it can be cold, which won’t suit bedrooms or living areas unless you’re in a particularly hot climate.

Carpet is a warm, soft, and versatile flooring choice that’s particularly appealing for living areas and bedrooms. Carpet is generally inexpensive, easy to install, absorbs sound, and it’s available in a wide variety of designs, colors, and piles to suit any tastes. The downside is that carpet shows wear and tear more easily than other flooring types, and it may need to be replaced more frequently.